Mulcair says Harper should make grain backlog No. 1 priority of his government

WINNIPEG – NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair says the prime minister has to make unclogging the backlog of grain a national priority or lose Canada’s place in the world market.

The leader of the Opposition says Canada’s reputation is being damaged by its inability to get last year’s bumper crop to market.

He says countries like Japan are going to start looking to the United States since Canada doesn’t seem to be able to get its grain to port.

A frigid winter combined with a huge crop of grain has caused a backlog and left bins overflowing across the Prairies.

The federal government recently forced rail companies to double the amount of grain they move each week.

Mulcair says that’s not good enough and Ottawa should be treating the issue like the crisis that it is.